Colin Kaepernick Finally Responds to Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium Freestyle: ‘I View That as Speaking to a Guilty Conscience’

The former NFL quarterback talked to NBC about his initial reaction to being mentioned by the legendary rapper.

Colin Kaepernick at The 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York, New York.

Gilbert Flores/Variety

Colin Kaepernick has finally responded to Jay-Z bringing him up during a freestyle on the first night of his Yankee Stadium residency back in July.

During a sit-down on Dateline NBC’s Before & After With Lester Holt airing Sept. 7, the former NFL quarterback spoke on his initial reaction to being name-dropped by the legendary rapper. “First and foremost, what it speaks to is power of people,” Kaepernick told Holt. “The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026.”